Wednesday, September 14, 2011

A doctor who loves night shifts

Emergency medicine physician, world-class educator and blogger extraordinaire Dr. Mike Cadogan was recently interviewed by Elsevier Australia:

Interviewer:

What are the best and worst parts of night shifts? Do you have any tips for surviving nights?

Mike Cadogan:

I love night shifts. The dark corridors, the cool air, the rising moon, the autonomy of decision-making, the authority, the midnight snacks and the sense of joyous achievement walking home with the sun rising and against the tide of tired, depressed faces gripping their morning coffees and bemoaning the need to be at work on such a glorious sunny day…

Think positive, be strong and enjoy autonomy. Remember that everybody else is on night shift with you, and most of them don’t want to be there either…but there is no need to be grumpy, rude, or pompous. Make friends with the night owls and collaborate, you will find your workload will dramatically decrease… Make enemies with the permanent night staff at your peril!

References

Interview with Mike Cadogan, author of the acclaimed On Call: Principles and Protocols by Student Ambassador Emma Sharp.
Image source: A halo around the Moon. Wikipedia, GNU Free Documentation License.

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